Press Releases

July13,2015

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith made the following statement in response to press reports that the Department of Defense will establish a working group on transgender service:

I applaud Secretary Carter’s decision to establish a working group to study the policy and readiness implications of allowing transgender persons to serve openly. The brave men and women who serve in our military should not be excluded from the rights and freedoms that they risk their lives to protect. It's that simple.

Incorporating the presumption that transgender individuals can serve openly, without adverse impact on the military effectiveness and readiness, is a step in the right direction. But it is long past time that we definitively and affirmatively make it clear that gender identity should have no bearing on an individual's ability to serve.

I look forward to the day when an individual can no longer be cast out of the military simply because of their gender identity.

July6,2015

Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement on the President’s proposal to increase the overtime threshold from $23,660 to $50,440:

“I applaud the President for taking action to extend overtime pay protections. This proposal will allow 5 million American workers to take home the money they have earned. The overtime threshold has not been raised in decades, and in the meantime income inequality has increased and average workers have been feeling squeezed. Now, the bottom 90 percent of Americans own just 23 percent of total U.S. wealth.

“We must be doing more to invest in the worker to build a strong middle class. I will continue to work and advocate for policies that respect workers and the dignity of work. This change by President Obama is a step in the right direction.”

July1,2015

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith made the following statement after the extension of Iran nuclear negotiations:

"Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is a vitally important national security priority in the Middle East and negotiating a good deal remains our best avenue to do so. As negotiations have been extended, it is critical that we build on an acceptable framework that has strong inspection and verification components. This is our opportunity to block all of Iran's paths to a nuclear weapon while avoiding military action. As such, we must let the process play out. I will continue to closely monitor negotiations and look forward to reviewing a final deal when it is reached."

June26,2015

Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges:

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is a victory for justice and equality. Ensuring marriage equality for all Americans regardless of who they love strengthens families, communities, and our nation as a whole. I stand with the LGBT community and the rest of our country in celebrating this monumental step towards equality.

“Today, we celebrate this victory, but we must remain committed to fighting for LGBT equality. Despite the ruling today, significant work remains to ensure equal rights to the LGBT community. LGBT people are still denied work, bulled in our schools, and homelessness and poverty rates are still unacceptably high among LGBT people. I will continue to advocate and fight for policies that ensure equality and justice for the LGBT community.”

June25,2015

Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s revised plan to limit family detention:

“The Department of Homeland Security’s revised plan for family detention again fails to address the real issue. We must end family detention, not mend it. Jailing children and mothers has devastating impacts on these families and in order to truly fix this problem we must implement more sensible, humane, and cost-effective alternatives to detention. Our government must get out of the business of detaining families.”